Title:The New World: A NovelSeries:Return to Treasure IslandAuthor:Andrew MotionGenre:Historical Fiction, FantasyPublisher:CrownRelease Date:October 9th, 2014Format:HardcoverPages:368Source:Blogging for Books, in exchange for review

Synopsis:

Washed ashore after escaping Treasure Island, young Jim Hawkins and his companion Natty find themselves stranded on the Gulf Coast of Texas. Their ship, the Nightingale, has been destroyed, and besides one other crew member, they are the only survivors. Before they can even grasp the full scope of their predicament, they realize they are not alone on the beach. When a band of Native Americans approaches the shore in a threatening fury, they brutally kill Jim and Natty’s last shipmate, rob their dead crew, and take the two desperate survivors hostage.

Suddenly, Jim and Natty are thrust into an adventure that takes them all across the unruly American South. Starting with a desperate escape from a violent chief who obsessively keeps close on their trail, they join up with a troupe of entertainers who take them to a thriving and dangerous New Orleans, and seek the closest port so they can set sail for home once again.

Review:

The New World is the sequel to Silver, the continuation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic, Treasure Island. And I’m conflicted about it.

On the one hand, it was an action/adventure much the same as Silver, with historical basis and the inclusion of a lot of First Nations presence (yay diversity).

On the other hand, the characters are esoteric and distant, and difficult to care about- even more so than in Silver, where at least the nautical and survival-on-an-island themes kept the pace engaging.

Natty is so mercurial and kept throwing out little tidbits like “If you don’t know it, Jim, you never will.” I re-read passages trying to see whatever the undercurrent was that I missed, but it’s just…nothing. She’s vague and odd and it’s never explained. Or I’m too dimwitted to pick up on what Andrew Motion is hinting at. And that bothered the heck out of me. Also, Jim is prone to narrative-interrupting daydreaming in which he’s actually prescient. Which is odd, to say the least.

Lastly, the story just never ended. That was charming at first, in an Odysseus kind of way. But by the end of the book, it was just annoying and felt too commercialized, as if the author was hoping that by presenting open-ended questions instead of a satisfying conclusion, we readers would be compelled to continue the series. Call me crazy, but I’m compelled to continue a series if I love the characters, pace, and writing- not because there’s a lack of closure.

I can only recommend this to people who really loved Silver. Unless your thing is super mysterious characters and zero closure.

Hey readers! We’ve joined up with Cali Darling this month to bring you a fun $50 Paypal Cash Giveaway. $50 could definitely buy you a few new books, don’t you think? Open internationally and ends on October 28th, enjoy!

Synopsis:

Never Underestimate the Power of a Liberated Witch.

Despite swirling rumors of war, seventeen-year-old Bianca Monroe is living without restraint for the first time. With no curse to hinder her and her enemy, Miss Mabel, imprisoned in an impervious dungeon, she’s finally free.

Nothing lasts forever. The Southern Network attacks, launching Bianca, her beloved father, and everyone she cares for into a war controlled by the clandestine witch Angelina. Chatham City burns, Guardians die, and Bianca soon realizes the only witch who can save the Central Network is the conniving Miss Mabel.

Will setting Miss Mabel free save everyone she loves, or unleash a greater evil on the Central Network and all of Antebellum? Is Bianca strong enough to make the right choice?

The High Priest’s Daughter is the third book in the thrilling new fantasy collection The Network Series. It’s a haunting tale about growing up and finding the strength within.

Review:

I generally do not like to give out 5 star reviews, but I have been addicted to this series since I read the very first book — Mildred’s Resistance. Not to mention, I stayed up past midnight reading on a work night because I could not put the book down. The High Priest’s Daughter is full of action, budding romance, mystery, plot twists, and suspense. The main character and heroine, Bianca, is a strong female lead that full of wit. Bianca has been put under an immense amount of pressure throughout this series and the stakes keep on getting higher. The supporting characters all have unique personalities that mesh well with the story and keep the story interesting as well as moving along.

In this book, the third in the series, both the characters and the story continue developing and piquing your interest. Katie’s descriptions and writing are fantastic — I can clearly picture and easily believe what is going on. While this book is geared towards young adults, I think it is a great read for all audiences! I cannot wait for the next book!

Can you imagine the fantastical non-reality that we’d find if we combined these two great literary forces? I actually think the book could open up and swallow me whole and I’d be perfectly fine with it.

This one seems a little strange, but the idea of this fun fairytale world that Maguire brings reality to mixed with Adams’ wit and a little sci-fi feels like a really odd combination that would be oh so good-and oh so hilarious!

Janet Evanovich and Kelley Armstrong are two of my favorite authors and they have both written their fair share of books. The Stephanie Plum series and Women of the Otherworld both are so well written and each book in the series brings something new to the table. If these two teamed up I would be beyond thrilled!

It was too difficult deciding on just one more duo, so we decided to choose this one a little differently. We each picked an author we’d like to see write with someone else, and we came up with this magically intriguing author trio. They all write stories that sweep you up and toss you into an exciting fantasy world-and we think they’d write something brilliant together.

Who would you like to see write together?

Around here, we love two things infinitely-books and Halloween. So how perfect is it when we can just go ahead and combine the two? I’m not even talking scary books or Halloween-themed books. I’m talking about book-inspired Halloween decor. What?!?!?! Didn’t know that was a thing, did you? Well I’m here to tell you that it exists, and even better it exists in one of a kind handmade pieces too. So I dug my way through all of the Halloween decor on Etsy, and pulled out the best book-inspired pieces for you. I hope you love them.

How do you decorate for Halloween?

Title:The Girl at MidnightSeries:The Girl at MidnightAuthor:Melissa GreyGenre:Fantasy, Young AdultPublisher:Delacorte PressRelease Date:April 28th, 2015Format:HardcoverPages:357Source:Won from The Book Rat

Synopsis:

Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one. Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she’s ever known.
Echo is clever and daring, and at times she can be brash, but above all else she’s fiercely loyal. So when a centuries-old war crests on the borders of her home, she decides it’s time to act.Legend has it that there is a way to end the conflict once and for all: find the Firebird, a mythical entity believed to possess power the likes of which the world has never seen. It will be no easy task, though if life as a thief has taught Echo anything, it’s how to hunt down what she wants . . . and how to take it.But some jobs aren’t as straightforward as they seem. And this one might just set the world on fire.

Review:

The Girl at Midnight is an urban fantasy young adult novel with elements of Celtic/Norse mythology. I’ve seen it compared to Laini Taylor’s work, which I think is an unfair comparison (it has elements from a number of urban fantasy YA books I’m familiar with, but it’s still its own thing). It was good, but not great. As a story, the premise is not entirely original, although well executed. Largely, it’s driven by the MC.

As a main character, Echo was fun. She’s a sassy thief with a shady but tragic backstory, and the story revolves consistently around her. There is a love triangle, but neither suitor is vilified to make the other a better choice (thank goodness). It’s a bit predictable, or it was for me anyway, but it’s still a fun, quick read. I only wish it explored the underground city more, as I was left with a lot of questions about side characters.
In all, it reminded me of several RPG sessions I’ve played back in my college days (most notable Amber diceless). It was a fun, shallow, action-filled romp, like a summer blockbuster movie. I recommend it for fans of YA urban fantasy who are in the mood for that sort of quick read. Personally, I wasn’t invested in the characters enough to continue the series.

Hello readers our fantastic new readers. As we mentioned Monday in our launch and giveaway post, we are also starting a quarterly book club called the Page à Vu Book Club and we hope you can join!

The Page à Vu Book Club is a quarterly book club hosted by your three admins here at Page à Vu Book Club-Angie, Kenzie, & Beth. We’re going to do the book club quarterly to give us time to read and discuss each book at our own pace, and we’re also going to be choosing new release books so we can stay current and ensure that no one has read it yet. Read more about this fun book club in our Page à Vu Book Club FAQ!

How can I participate?

Sign up on the quarterly sign-up form: This will be posted on the first Thursday of each quarter and will include a link-up so you can link to your blog/channel/page where you can be found. That’s today!

Join our Facebook Group: We will be holding weekly chapter discussions on Facebook starting a week after the announcement post. To avoid Spoilers we’ll be putting all the info in the comments, so if you haven’t caught up to our chapter yet you don’t have to go into the thread and see the spoilers.

Review the Book: At the end of the quarter we’ll be posting another link-up where you can link up your reviews of the book. Whether you blogged about it, talked about it on YouTube, posted your thoughts on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram, or simply reviewed it on Goodreads-you can link it up! We’ll also include our own reviews of the book that week as well.

The link-up for the reviews this quarter will go live on December 24th, 2015.

This Quarter’s Book Club

Since it’s October and we just launched, we’ll jump right into the first quarter of our book club! If you’d like to read this book with us, please feel free to join our Facebook Group and link up your blog/page/channel below! The Book for Quarter 4 of 2015 is…

Menagerie by Rachel Vincent

Synopsis according to Goodreads

When Delilah Marlow visits a famous traveling carnival, Metzger’s Menagerie, she is an ordinary woman in a not-quite-ordinary world. But under the macabre circus black-top, she discovers a fierce, sharp-clawed creature lurking just beneath her human veneer. Captured and put on exhibition, Delilah in her black swan burlesque costume is stripped of her worldly possessions, including her own name, as she’s forced to “perform” in town after town.

But there is breathtaking beauty behind the seamy and grotesque reality of the carnival. Gallagher, her handler, is as kind as he is cryptic and strong. The other “attractions”—mermaids, minotaurs, gryphons and kelpies—are strange, yes, but they share a bond forged by the brutal realities of captivity. And as Delilah struggles for her freedom, and for her fellow menagerie, she’ll discover a strength and a purpose she never knew existed.

Join Us

Like millions of other book-loving children, my life revolved around the Harry Potter series. I still remember when the first Harry Potter book was released. My mom happened to pick it up thinking that it would be a book that we both would enjoy… she couldn’t have been more right! Each release of the next book in the series became a tradition for us — we would wait until the book was released and then take turns reading it and talking about it.

I can honestly say that those memories are some of my favorites from my childhood. I have even not-so-jokingly-joked that I would get a Harry Potter tattoo given the chance. Not to mention I told John that, if he would be so obliged, he could buy me all of these wonderful things from Etsy for my birthday.

Hello readers! We’re not sure there are many of you out there yet, but we hope in time you’ll join us on our bookish journey. We’ve decided to join up with The Broke and The Bookish for Top 10 Tuesdays! Today we’re talking about bookish things we want to quit. Because let’s face it, we’re never quitting books…

Anyway, in all seriousness… Here are the bookish things that all three of want to work on quitting…

9. Being unwilling to read a book if we’ve already seen the movie.

10. Spending too much money on book-inspired merchandise just because it’s book-inspired.

We are so excited to announce the grand opening of Page à Vu! But, before we get too ahead of ourselves, we can imagine that you are wondering who “we” are. We are Angie, Beth, and Kenzie — three book lovers who wanted to get together and share that love of books with others. You can expect to find any book-related posts shared here.

We are also starting a quarterly book club! Why quarterly? Well that gives us a good three months to read the book, discuss it weekly in our Facebook Group, and choose another book for the next quarter. More info coming soon!

In honor of our first post, we are hosting an amazing giveaway that will have TWO winners! Our first prize includes Buried in Buttercream by G.A. McKevett, Illusions by Aprilynne Pike, Evermore by Alyson Noel, Reborn by C C Hunter, Lullaby by Amanda Hocking, an inspirational post card, and an adorable snowman notebook. The second prize includes Inspire Uplift Encourage notebook by Debbie Macomber, Silver Linings by Debbie Macomber, The World Before Us by Aislinn Hunter, and The Vintage Tea Party Book by Angel Adoree.